Share this Story : Today's letters: How to help Canada battle wildfires Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Breadcrumb Trail Links Opinion Letters Today's letters: How to help Canada battle wildfires Friday, Aug. 23: A reader offers ideas to enlarge our contingent of firefighters and better equip them. You can write to us too at letters@ottawacitizen.
com. Author of the article: Citizen letters Published Aug 23, 2024 • Last updated 17 minutes ago • 2 minute read Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here . Or sign-in if you have an account.
A group of wildfire firefighters huddles together after the funeral for Calgary firefighter Morgan Kitchen, who died fighting the fires in Jasper. Photo by Darren Makowichuk / POSTMEDIA Article content A plea for more firefighters and gear Canada is again in the midst of a devastating wildfire season. The loss of one-third of the town of Jasper is but one example.
The impact on air quality is felt way beyond the fires’ impact and carbon release in the atmosphere compounds further climate deterioration. At present, local, provincial and federal agencies do not have sufficient capacity to respond. We call on and receive help from generous international neighbours, but this is not enough.
We need to take steps now to increase our capacity to control forest fires. Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
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Sign In or Create an Account Email Address Continue or View more offers If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, unlimited online access is included in your subscription. Activate your Online Access Now Article content In addition to more full-time personnel, there may be several ways to develop a large pool of trained part-time firefighters. Smaller communities already deploy trained volunteer firefighters and this program could be expanded.
Some communities have volunteer search-and-rescue programs and it may be possible to expand these to include volunteer firefighting. Paid “volunteers” could be recruited from municipal, provincial and federal departments where paid time off for training and firefighting might be funded. Private-sector employers, particularly in vulnerable communities, might support similar employee participation.
In conjunction with adding more trained firefighters, protective clothing and fire-fighting equipment is needed. Public funds already provide some equipment. Charitable fundraising would be a source to supplement public funds.
Service clubs such as Lions, Kiwanis, Kinsmen and Rotary could be mobilized to raise funds for this equipment. Canada is blessed with natural resources and beauty. These resources and the adjacent communities can be protected if we place a high enough priority on deploying the necessary firefighting capacity.
Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Don Dickson, Ottawa Be careful cutting those cucumbers Re: How Ottawa’s ‘Cucumber Boy’ became the star of TikTok , Aug. 16.
It didn’t surprise me that a well-made cucumber salad is a perfectly cool salad for summer. The Cucumber Boy hit on the right idea and got TikTok attention. Good for him — but a word of caution: If you use a razor-sharp mandolin, as he does, to slice the cukes, it can be razor-sharp dangerous.
I was showing a friend how to shred a cabbage with a just-purchased mandolin when I sliced a tip of my finger. Luckily, my friend had some first aid experience and helped stem the bleeding. I did have to go to a clinic for a proper dressing.
Lesson learned. My son bought me a pair of cut resistant gloves which I didnt even know existed but which i now use regularly when slicing or shredding vegetables. The nurse at the clinic told me she had similar experience slicing cukes with a mandolin.
Turns out cuke is a dangerous vegetable! Rafal Pomian 613 422 8186 Speed cameras: we need more Re: City’s driving statistics tell grim story , Aug. 14. I jog on Colonel By Drive every morning between 6 and 7 a.
m. where the posted speed limit is 40 km/hour. Cars, vans and motorcycles speed past me regularly.
When I drive along the canal sticking to the speed limit, I always cause a minor traffic jam behind me. Some drivers even pass other vehicles. I agree completely with Robert Macdonald that we need speed cameras in more places.
Joanna Crilly, Ottawa Recommended from Editorial Today's letters: Canada's not so different from the U.S., politically speaking Today's letters: Better to work with Chinese EV manufacturers than to block them Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Today's letters: How to help Canada battle wildfires Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Comments You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
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